President Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) are on opposite sides Tuesday as Georgia voters go to the polls to pick a GOP nominee for Senate, with Kemp backing former college football coach Derek Dooley and Trump endorsing Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.).

The contest pits the undisputed leader of the Republican Party, Trump, against the most popular GOP figure in the swing state of Georgia. Kemp was also the Republican many in the GOP thought would enter the Senate race.

It’s the latest unusual chapter for Trump in the state of Georgia, where in 2020 he pressured officials to overturn his loss in the presidential contest and then saw two Republican senators lose runoffs in 2021.

Trump and Kemp have also had a tumultuous relationship. The governor drew the ire of the president for his refusal to not certify the 2020 election results in Georgia. The lengthy feud reached a crescendo when Trump supported a primary challenge against Kemp. During the 2024 campaign, the two men appeared to bury the hatchet despite the lingering tensions.

The two, for example, have notably backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) in the GOP runoff for governor.

Although Trump’s endorsement has proven decisive in key primary races this year, Georgia Republicans have shown a unique willingness to buck the president’s picks at the polls.

“Donald Trump endorsed David Perdue, and a whole host of characters running against all of the Republican statewide elected officials,” in 2022, Republican strategist and Kemp campaign alum Ryan Mahoney explained, referencing the former senator’s unsuccessful gubernatorial bid.

“They all lost, and still to this day, everyone wants Donald Trump’s endorsement, because it moves the needle,” he added, stating it is the “same” for Kemp.

The president jostled the Senate race early Sunday when he backed Collins over Dooley in a Truth Social post. He lauded Collins as “a WARRIOR and WINNER” while criticizing Dooley for acknowledging that Trump lost the 2020 election in the Peach State.

Collins thanked the president for his endorsement, writing on X, “Georgians deserve a U.S. Senator who will fight for them every day to deliver real results, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Trump also attended a tele-rally alongside Collins on Monday.

Kemp, who first endorsed Dooley last summer, underscored his support in a social media post Monday, urging Georgians to vote for the “conservative fighter who will put Georgians first and bring a new kind of leadership to Washington, D.C.”

On paper, Collins already appeared the Trump favorite: He made a name for himself for his work on the Laken Riley Act — the first bill that the president signed into law during his second term. The legislation allows federal officials to detain certain undocumented immigrants either accused or convicted of specific crimes, like burglary and theft.    

Several of Collins’s current and former campaign aides have worked on the president’s political operations, and the congressman — son of former Rep. Mac Collins (R-Ga.) — also enjoys endorsements from some close to Trump’s orbit, including Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), the president’s former White House political director. 

Republicans say they’re less surprised by Trump’s endorsement of Collins than they are about the timing. Early voting in the runoff ended Friday.

“It’s a match that always made sense,” said Cole Muzio, president of Frontline Policy Council and a Kemp ally. “There were a lot of people scratching their heads that it hadn’t happened yet, and so I think it’s a reflection of the fact that polling’s gotten really close.”

Yet, Muzio, who is undecided in the runoff, said Trump’s decision to endorse Collins didn’t sway his thoughts on whom he should back — emblematic of how Georgia Republicans have been willing to break with Trump.

“A Trump endorsement for me does not move the needle as much when you’re trying to look at, ‘OK, what’s the path forward in a general election?’” Muzio said. 

Dooley has touted himself as the political outsider who wants to turn things around in Washington, D.C. He’s campaigned on issues like term limits and tackling the federal deficit. He’s also leaned into his identity as a former college football coach.

Yet, Republicans point out the “outsider” candidate has institutional backing in Kemp, and some have questioned his conservative bona fides, noting he hasn’t voted in recent elections.

A Dooley adviser argued that the former coach grew up in the state, went to law school there and had his first coaching job at the University of Georgia. The adviser also suggested Dooley and Trump are more similar stylistically. 

“He’s articulating a frustration that Mike and other candidates can’t tap into, which is a frustration with Congress, and how D.C. operates,” the Dooley adviser said about the former football coach’s approach. 

“If you really want to boil it down, that’s exactly what Donald Trump ran on in 2016 — was a frustration with politics as usual,” the adviser added. 

While Trump’s endorsement is a helpful asset for Collins, the congressman only has a limited amount of time to capitalize on the announcement. Some Republicans question how far it really moves the needle.

“I don’t think it helps him a lot,” said Republican strategist Jay Williams. “I mean, maybe a little bit, but not as much as it [would have] helped him, maybe three weeks ago.”